Five hospitals in Dayton, Ohio have collaborated in the formation of the Dayton Clinical Oncology Program (DCOP). This NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) involves all major institutions within Dayton's defined population area with a history of community collaboration efforts in medical program development and in the cancer field. The DCOP has been able, in a short period of time, to mobilize the resources of its institutional components and health care professionals to initiate development of a more sophisticated cancer program. DCOP specific aims and objectives include: greater involvement in clinical research at the community level; establishment of a strong organizational structure to support and govern the program development of a data management plan with a high level of quality control that will assure the NCI of superior data for program evaluation; establishment of standards of physician performance; development of pharmacy procedures assuring the NCI, FDA and other agencies of control over investigational agents; and greater involvement of the medical community in cancer control activities, especially physician and nursing patient management guidelines. To accomplish the primary goal of increased involvement in clinical research, the DCOP has provided the following methodology: development of criteria/policies for protocol selection; mechanisms for NCI's evaluation of the diffusion hypothesis, including development of patient log forms with provision of additional data through the computerized data system; establishment of data management responsibilities; design of a data mangement plan; procedures for data maintenance, quality control and transmission to the research bases; and policies for use of investigational drugs.